Having ruled the world of cricket solely for more than a decade, Australia’s downfall has now its nadir. The rifts within the team have added insult to the injury and the team was rocked by the recent whitewash against India. Axing of three players, including Watson, from the side during the series that prompted Watson to return to Australia is just a glimpse into the disagreement within the team. Though Watson came back and captained Australia in the last Test in the absence of Michael Clarke, his recent decision shows that all is not well.

[caption id="attachment_634" align="alignright" width="223"] Watson’s apprehensions have been on the rise after the recent Test series against India where he scored just 99 runs in three Tests at 16.50 (Photo: BCCI)[/caption]

With Ashes – the most important series for Australia this year – is just three months away Watson has resigned as vice-captain. Watson said by stepping down from the post he could focus his attention on his performance which has been below par for a quite a while now. However, by the looks of it, he is not happy Clarke as captain of the team. In fact, given the performances of other batsmen during the recent tour to India, it seems Watson is not alone in his attitude.

The all-rounder said the decision to step down as the vice-captain was not easy for him, but he was mulling it over following the series against India. He scored only 99 runs in three Tests at an average of 16.50, which is enough to show his disappointing performance.

“I think it’s the right time for a change for both the team and me,” Watson said in a statement Saturday. He said he wanted to be the best player for Australia and the decision to resign as vice captain could help him focus on taking wickets and scoring runs.

Watson was made vice-captain when Ricky Ponting stepped down as skipper in March 2011 and Clarke took over the team’s leadership.